Fairfield’s Rhinehart and Iona’s O’Leary Named Hercules Tires MAAC Student-Athletes of the Week
EDISON, N.J. (Mar. 24, 2021) – Fairfield University’s Lauryn Rhinehart and Iona College’s Jack O'Leary have been named the Hercules Tires Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Student-Athletes of the Week.
Lauryn Rhinehart
Fairfield
Softball
Senior pitcher Lauryn Rhinehart opened the 2021 season with a pair of wins in her first two starts. She has been among the team's leaders in most pitching categories throughout her career and looks to continue that trend with a successful start to the 2021 campaign. Over her career, she has averaged 4.5 strikeouts per seven innings pitched. Rhinehart, a Mathematics major, has earned berths to the NFCA All-Region, All-MAAC, and MAAC All-Academic teams during her career.
Jack O'Leary
Iona
Cross Country
The most recent accolade earned by Iona cross country star Jack O'Leary was bestowed by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as they named him the Fred Tootell Award winner. The distinction is given to the best male cross country runner in the Northeast Region.
O'Leary began the season winning the Spider Patriot Classic and then followed it up with a first-place finish at the 2020 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships. O'Leary earned Most Outstanding Performer at the conference championship and helped the Gaels carry a perfect team score for their 30th straight league title. At the NCAA D1 Cross Country Championship in Stillwater, Oklahoma, O'Leary finished 25th and earned his USTFCCCA All-American honor. The Maroon & Gold finished 10th as a team at the NCAA Championship and now Iona has finished inside the top-10 of the team standings six times over the past 10 seasons.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40
th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.